Gildo - Geological characteristics of Iceland

LUGGAGE STORAGE AT GILDO

Car Rental.
Special offer: LAST MINUTE OFFER 30% RESERVATION

Geological characteristics of Iceland

Written by Administrator

Tuesday, 13 December 2011 17:46

Geological char...

Iceland is a unique country – and what makes Iceland so special – it´s geological characteristics. In one country you can see glaciers, mountains, vulcanos, geysirs, waterfalls and Mid-Atlantic Rift on land. How come?

Iceland is built up with the same material as the ocean bottom (tertiary basalt formation). The country is geologically an unusually thick (20km-40km) ocean crust. Iceland is located where two tectonic plates meet – North American and Eurasian plates. This is the main reason why Iceland has had so many active vulcanos. There are few places in Iceland where you can see Mid-Atlantic Rift on land, but most popular would be Thingvellir National Park.

Nowhere in the world is magma production and volcanism more active than in Iceland. Approx. 20 eruptions occur every century and one third of all magma, which has errupted on dry land during the last thousand years (!), has emerged in Iceland.

Nearly all types of volcanic vents can be found in Iceland. Some are even rare outside Iceland, for example shield volcanos (Skjaldbreiður), hyaloclastic mountains (Búrfell and Botnsúlur) and long volcanic fissures (Lakagígar). Hyoclastic ridges can only been found in Iceland, they are formed when a long fissure erupt below a glacier.

Nowhere in world are such great deposits of black sands as in Iceland. The sand is for most part volcanic ash created underneath the glaciers.

The amount of geothermal heat is unusually extensive in Iceland and no where it is more important power source. Almost 90% of all space heating is with geothermal water. The world´s largest geothermal are is underneath the galcier of Vatnajökull – Grímsvötn.

Weathering and erosions in Iceland are greater than in most other areas, and there are few reasons for that. Frequent changes in weather, change between freezing and thawing. Erosion by frost is extensive and the mountains are covered with crees. The erosion by sea is unusually vast and high sea cliffs are numerous. No wonder, as Iceland has 6000km coastline in the middle of stormy ocean. Iceland has many rivers with strong currents where floods and melt water bursts are frequent. Erosion by rivers is atypical, there are numerous deepn ravines and high waterfalls. The land was formed by great erosions from the glaciers. There are outlet glaciers that are still advancing and shaping the landscape.

Contact GILDO ehf tours and let us show you some of most amazing nature wonderis in Iceland.